The 23 best thriller movies on Netflix right now
Films filled with high stakes, hijinks, and a high likelihood of something going wrong.
Credit: Chuck Zlotnick/Open Road Films; Stefania Rosini/Row K Entertainment; Jonathan Olley/ Columbia Pictures
- Netflix offers a diverse selection of thrilling films featuring top actors and gripping narratives.
The suspense is growing on Netflix, where the streamer is always refining its collection of blockbusters, indies, and foreign thrillers.
This month, the guide visits Los Angeles, the setting for films like 1993's True Romance , 1994's Speed , 2014's Nightcrawler , and 2023's Woman of the Hour . Then we're driving to the Midwest for Fargo (1996), Gone Girl (2014), and Dead Man's Wire (2025), before setting a course to New York City to catch up with Donnie Brasco (1997) and Inside Man (2006) . Finally, we're wrapping up our cinematic summer journey in Martha's Vineyard for a last dip in the ocean and a requisite seasonal viewing of Jaws (1975).
You don't want to miss this road trip — read on for Entertainment Weekly 's guide to the 23 best thrillers on the platform.
01 of 23
The Black Phone (2021)
Ethan Hawke as the Grabber in 'The Black Phone' Credit: Universal Studios
The '70s were a heyday of serial killers, and the villain from The Black Phone would fit right in with the John Wayne Gacys and Ted Bundys of the world. Set in 1978, The Black Phone focuses on a Denver suburb that is being targeted by "the Grabber" ( Ethan Hawke ), a serial child abductor and murderer.
After 13-year-old Finney Blake is taken, his sister Gwen starts having psychic dreams about his location. Meanwhile, Finney is locked in a room with only a broken pay phone that keeps ringing with calls from the Grabber's former victims. A horror film distinguished by its supernatural elements, The Black Phone is a terrifying return to horror for Hawke (following his tantalizing turns in 2012's Sinister and 2013's The Purge ), made even more nightmarish by his masked face and frequent giggling. —Ilana Gordon
Where to watch The Black Phone : Netflix
EW grade:B
Director:Scott Derrickson
Cast:Ethan Hawke, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone
02 of 23
Bugonia (2025)
Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller in 'Bugonia' Credit: Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features
Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone reunite for their fifth collaboration with Bugonia , a satirical sci-fi thriller. Stone plays Michelle Fuller, a high-powered pharmaceutical CEO, and Jesse Plemons stars opposite her as Teddy, a conspiracy theorist who kidnaps Michelle, believing her to be an alien. A loose remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet!, Bugonia 's outlook on Earth and humanity isn't necessarily optimistic, but it is entertaining.
Stone received her seventh Oscar nomination for her role as Michelle, and the film also received nods for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Released during a year of buzzy, standout films, Bugonia slid under the radar in 2025, but deserves your attention in 2026. — I.G.
Where to watch Bugonia : Netflix
Director:Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast:Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone
03 of 23
Caught Stealing (2025)
Matt Smith as Russ and Austin Butler as Hank in 'Caught Stealing' Credit: Niko Tavernise/Columbia Pictures
No good deed goes unpunished in Caught Stealing , Darren Aronofsky's black comedy crime thriller. The film, adapted from the first novel in Charlie Huston's Henry Thompson series, follows Hank ( Austin Butler ), a former baseball player who makes ends meet by bartending in New York City. When Hank agrees to watch his British punk rock neighbor's ( Matt Smith ) cat while he's out of town, he finds himself plunged into a brutal world of criminality and violence.
Caught Stealing is a madcap throwback bolstered by Butler's charismatic — and very physical — performance. Solid chemistry between Butler and his character's girlfriend (played by Zoë Kravitz ), plus a fun twist at the end, ensures that audiences never know what's around the corner in this freewheeling thriller. — I.G.
Where to watch Caught Stealing : Netflix
Director:Darren Aronofsky
Cast:Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber
04 of 23
Creep (2014)
Mark Duplass as Josef in 'Creep' Credit: Desiree Akhavan
In this found-footage two-hander, a young videographer named Aaron ( Patrick Brice ) is hired by Josef ( Mark Duplass ) to record a day of his life. Josef explains that he has an inoperable brain tumor and wants to leave something behind for his soon-to-be-born son, but his eccentric behavior becomes increasingly concerning, and Aaron needs to decide whether to continue filming — assuming Josef will let him leave.
Creep's continued success depends on whether Josef can keep finding fresh ways to be unnerving, and he does. (Things get even creepier in Creep 2 , which documents another video project gone terribly wrong.) — Danny Horn
Where to watch Creep : Netflix
Director: Patrick Brice
Cast: Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice
05 of 23
Dead Man's Wire (2025)
Colman Domingo as Fred Temple in 'Dead Man's Wire' Credit: Stefania Rosini/Row K Entertainment
A thriller based on true events, Dead Man's Wire takes audiences back to Indianapolis in 1977, when Tony Kiritsis ( Bill Skarsgård ) took mortgage broker Richard Hall ( Dacre Montgomery ) hostage, used a piece of wire to attach him to the trigger of a sawed-off shotgun, and refused to release him until his list of demands was met. Journalists covered the 63-hour standoff, while also questioning the media ethics of potentially broadcasting Hall's murder live on air.
Gus Van Sant 's stylish '70s thriller is tense, darkly funny, and relevant: The abduction took place almost 50 years ago, but Tony's rants about capitalism — delivered with fervor in a top-notch performance by Skarsgård — remain timeless. — I.G.
Where to watch Dead Man's Wire : Netflix
Director:Gus Van Sant
Cast:Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha'la, Colman Domingo
06 of 23
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Michael Madsen as Sonny Black and Johnny Depp as Joe Pistone in 'Donnie Brasco' Credit: TriStar/Courtesy Everett
A decade after Johnny Depp went undercover to play a high schooler on Fox's 21 Jump Street , he once again donned the mantle of double agent — this time to infiltrate the Mob. Based on the true story of FBI agent Joe Pistone, Donnie Brasco offers a glimpse into the emotional turmoil that comes with living the cloak and dagger lifestyle.
Depp stars as Pistone, who meets Mob enforcer Lefty Ruggiero ( Al Pacino ) while posing as a jewel thief named Donnie Brasco. Ruggiero befriends and mentors Pistone (as Brasco), who discovers within himself a talent for impressing the Mob with his participation in their extracurricular activities. But the more enmeshed in the criminal underworld Pistone becomes, the more he struggles to maintain his family life — and divorce himself from his emotional attachment to his mentor. —I.G.
Where to watch Donnie Brasco : Netflix
Director:Mike Newell
Cast:Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo
07 of 23
Fargo (1996)
Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson in 'Fargo' Credit: Gramercy Pictures/Getty
Minnesota nice meets murder in Fargo , the Coen brothers' dark comedy thriller about Jerry Lundegaard ( William H. Macy ), a car salesman who hires two criminals to kidnap his wife so he can use the ransom money to repay his debts. Events do not unfold as planned, and the kidnappers (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) panic as the bodies pile up. Frances McDormand won her first Oscar for her performance as the stalwart police chief Marge Gunderson, a character EW's critic describes as a "true Coen-style pioneer woman."
A gory and loving tribute to Midwestern sensibilities — even in the face of utter catastrophe — Fargo represents the Coens at their most manically chaotic, with EW ranking it fourth on our list of the filmmakers' best work . —I.G.
Where to watch Fargo : Netflix through Sept. 30
Director:Joel Coen
Cast:Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Harve Presnell, Peter Stormare
08 of 23
Gone Girl (2014)
Ben Affleck as Nick and Rosamund Pike as Amy in 'Gone Girl' Credit: Merrick Morton/20th Century Studios
In 2012, the one book nobody could put down was Gone Girl , authored by former EW writer Gillian Flynn . Two years later, the bestseller got a cinematic adaptation with Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike starring opposite each other as Nick and Amy Dunne, the married — and mind-game-wielding — couple whose relationship is called into question after Amy suddenly goes missing.
Set in Missouri in the years following the Great Recession, Gone Girl takes its protagonists and viewers on a journey of deception, betrayal, and retribution, while still finding time to fit in one of the most revealing and memorable character monologues of all time — Amy's "Cool Girl" diatribe, which is worthy of a watch all on its own. —I.G.
Where to watch Gone Girl : Netflix through Sept. 30
EW grade:A
Director:David Fincher
Cast:Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon
09 of 23
The Good Nurse (2022)
Eddie Redmayne as Charlie Cullen and Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren in 'The Good Nurse' Credit: Courtesy of TIFF
Nurses are angels with the power to do the work of demons. In the Netflix original psychological thriller The Good Nurse , Amy Loughren ( Jessica Chastain ) is a night nurse with a work husband: Charles Cullen ( Eddie Redmayne ). A single mom with a serious heart condition, Amy is shocked to learn that the recent death of one of their hospital's patients is thought to have occurred intentionally, and that Charles might be involved. And the more Amy digs, the more she realizes the co-worker she trusts is actually someone far more nefarious.
Based on the true story of how the real-life Amy Loughren helped authorities take down serial killer Charles Cullen, The Good Nurse is good old-fashioned, ripped-from-the-headlines cinema with a story made all the more terrifying because so little of it is exaggerated. Trust us — you've never seen Eddie Redmayne like this before. —I.G.
Where to watch The Good Nurse : Netflix
EW grade:B+
Director:Tobias Lindholm
Cast:Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne
10 of 23
Green Room (2015)
Patrick Stewart as Darcy Banker in 'Green Room' Credit: Scott Green/A24
Punk musicians square off against neo-Nazis in Green Room , a horror thriller about a murder that turns into a bloodbath. The punk band the Ain't Rights are at the tail end of their tour of the Pacific Northwest when they find themselves booked at a skinhead bar. After the band witnesses the aftermath of a murder, the Nazis take them hostage; with only one way out of the green room, it's up to the band to fight for their right to survive.
Green Room 's premise is terrifying enough, but the film's fear factor is taken up a notch thanks to Patrick Stewart 's performance as the primary villain. EW's critic writes , "Stewart is way scarier when he's neither barking nor biting but just purring controlled threats." —I.G.
Where to watch Green Room : Netflix
EW grade:A–
Director:Jeremy Saulnier
Cast:Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner
11 of 23
Influencer (2022)
Emily Tennant as Madison and Cassandra Naud as CW in 'Influencer' Credit: Shudder/Everett
There are movies that use social media as a device, and then there's Influencer . This twisty horror thriller is set in Thailand, where Madison (Emily Tennant), a social media personality, is posting her way through a solo vacation because her boyfriend didn't come along. She befriends a free spirit named CW (Cassandra Naud), who escorts her through the country's hidden gems — until Madison's passport is stolen, and her trip takes a bleak turn.
To complicate matters, another influencer named Jessica (Sara Canning) enters the picture, and Madison's absent boyfriend and social media manager, Ryan (Rory J. Saper), makes an appearance. If social media is a highlight reel, Influencer reminds us that life behind the photo dumps is often much darker. —I.G.
Where to watch Influencer : Netflix
Director:Kurtis David Harder
Cast:Emily Tennant, Cassandra Naud, Rory J. Saper, Sara Canning
12 of 23
Inside Man (2006)
Jodie Foster as Madeleine White and Denzel Washington as Det. Keith Frazier in 'Inside Man' Credit: David Lee/Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
If you were to ask Inside Man's lead character, Dalton Russell ( Clive Owen ), if he committed the perfect bank robbery, he would say yes. Dalton and his crew attempt to prove that thesis as they take a Manhattan bank hostage and toy with the NYPD detective assigned to negotiate with them (Denzel Washington).
Also keeping abreast of the robbery's developments is bank founder Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), whose most secret possession is stored in the bank's vault, and who dispatches professional fixer Madeleine White (Jodie Foster) to ensure its safety. Inside Man was Spike Lee's first big-budget project, and the crime thriller earned him props for his plot twists and character development. —I.G.
Where to watch Inside Man : Netflix through Sept. 30
Director:Spike Lee
Cast:Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, Christopher Plummer, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe
13 of 23
Jaws (1975)
Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper and Robert Shaw as Quint in 'Jaws' Credit: Universal Pictures/Courtesy of Getty
The thriller that gave generations a fear of deep water and sharks, Steven Spielberg 's Jaws didn't just inspire new methods of filmmaking — it also helped create the summer blockbuster. A movie that claimed the number one box office spot for 14 weeks, Jaws terrified and delighted moviegoers in the mid-'70s; they had no idea the film shoot was so laden with budgetary and visual effects issues that it was nicknamed "Flaws."
Jaws turned Martha's Vineyard's placid beaches into the stuff of nightmares, and the film's fear factor lingers just as effectively more than 50 years later. The movie remains a thriller must-see, but if you venture into these waters, take heed: There's a reason EW ranked Jaws second on our list of the 50 best thriller movies . —I.G.
Where to watch Jaws : Netflix
Director:Steven Spielberg
Cast:Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton
14 of 23
Memento (2001)
Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby in 'Memento' Credit: Everett Collection
Memento , Christopher Nolan's acclaimed sophomore feature, is a non-linear thriller about grief and memory. Guy Pearce stars as Leonard Shelby, a man who began suffering from short-term amnesia after a brutal attack, an affliction that complicates his goal of avenging his wife's death. Reliant on tattoos, Polaroid pictures, and hastily scribbled notes in place of memories, Leonard attempts to hunt down his wife's killer, while struggling to discern who he can trust.
Nolan is meticulous with his plot, structuring the film's chronology to mimic the fractures in Leonard's memory. EW's critic gave the film an A , writing, " Memento has the uniquely disorienting quality of a puzzle that reveals its design the fewer pieces there are in place. It's the rare mystery in which every moment lives." —I.G.
Where to watch Memento : Netflix
EW grade:A
Director:Christopher Nolan
Cast:Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
15 of 23
Nightcrawler (2014)
Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom in 'Nightcrawler' Credit: Chuck Zlotnick/Open Road Films
Writer-director Dan Gilroy explores the seedy side of freelance journalism in his 2014 thriller, Nightcrawler . An emaciated Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a thief who turns from a life of crime to a life of documenting crime after he learns about the entrepreneurial benefits of selling lurid footage to local news stations.
With questionable morals and a camcorder in tow, Lou lurks around Los Angeles looking for — and sometimes staging — incidents to film for profit. Happy to lie, cheat, steal, and exploit his co-workers in his rise to make more money and solidify his position as the city's most prodigious stringer, Lou is the ideal anti-hero and the perfect metaphor for the way sensational news and media end up feeding one another to stay alive. —I.G.
Where to watch Nightcrawler : Netflix
EW grade:B+
Director:Dan Gilroy
Cast:Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, Bill Paxton
16 of 23
Oxygen (2021)
Mélanie Laurent as Elizabeth 'Liz' Hansen in 'Oxygen' Credit: Netflix
A nightmare come to life for claustrophobics everywhere, Oxygen is a French-language sci-fi film that thinks outside the box in terms of action. At the genesis, an unidentified woman ( Mélanie Laurent ) awakens in an airtight medical unit, unsure of who or where she is. Interactions with the system's AI — dubbed M.I.L.O. (Medical Interface Liaison Officer) — provide some clarity as to her identity, but no matter what she tries, she cannot escape her prison.
As she seeks to understand who placed her in the box and why, truths about her personal life and the current state of the world come into focus — but her search for context is actually a race to outwit the slowly depleting oxygen levels. Laurent is excellent, and despite being forced to perform on her back, she manages to imbue the film with a strong sense of determination and humanity. —I.G.
Where to watch Oxygen : Netflix
EW grade:B
Director:Alexandre Aja
Cast:Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi
17 of 23
Rebel Ridge (2024)
Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond in 'Rebel Ridge' Credit: Allyson Riggs/Netflix
The police illegally seize money from the wrong man in Rebel Ridge , an action thriller that pits a Black former Marine veteran and graduate of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program against a group of racist and corrupt small-town cops. Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) rolls into town on his bike, hoping to buy a new truck and post bail for his cousin. When the police confiscate his money through civil asset forfeiture, he tries to get it back — and the more reluctant the cops are to accommodate him, the more physically insistent Terry becomes. One of Netflix's best-received recent original thrillers, Rebel Ridge is well-deserving of the Primetime Emmy it won for Outstanding Television Movie. —I.G.
Where to watch Rebel Ridge : Netflix
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Cast: Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen
18 of 23
Speed (1994)
Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven and Sandra Bullock as Annie Porter in 'Speed' Credit: Richard Foreman/FOX
One of the ultimate '90s action movies, Speed is the story of a vindictive bomber who rigs a bus to explode if it goes too slow, and the Los Angeles cop who is determined to foil him. LAPD Officer Jack Traven ( Keanu Reeves ) works on the city's SWAT team and has had run-ins with the psychopathic Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) before. When Jack gets word of Payne's plot, he manages to board the armed vehicle, where he assigns one of the passengers, Annie (Sandra Bullock), to keep the bus in motion while he deescalates the situation.
EW's critic writes that Hitchcock "would be proud" of the movie "in which a zooming bus becomes a pop metaphor for a world speeding chaotically out of control." All of the leads are excellent, but it's Reeves who carries the film, turning the 116-minute popcorn thriller into a compelling sales pitch for why he is one of Hollywood's go-to action stars. —I.G.
Where to watch Speed : Netflix
Director:Jan de Bont
Cast:Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton, Jeff Daniels
19 of 23
They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
John Boyega as Fontaine, Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo, and Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles in 'They Cloned Tyrone' Credit: Parrish Lewis/Netflix
A single genre isn't enough to contain one of Netflix's 2023 releases, They Cloned Tyrone . A sci-fi comedy that combines '70s Blaxploitation with mystery and social satire, the film has similar vibes to movies like Get Out (2017) or Sorry to Bother You (2018) while employing a far more absurd premise. Fontaine ( John Boyega ) is a drug dealer living in an impoverished area called the Glen. While trying to collect funds owed to him by a local pimp named Slick Charles ( Jamie Foxx ), Fontaine is shot and killed — but that doesn't stop him from showing up on Slick's doorstep the next day to collect his money.
Joined by a sex worker named YoYo ( Teyonah Parris ), the trio attempts to get to the bottom of what appears to be a massive government conspiracy aimed at exploiting their disenfranchised community as medical subjects. A satirical romp that has as much to say about class and racial injustices as it does about mystery movie tropes, They Cloned Tyrone is smart, silly, and uniformly well-acted. —I.G.
Where to watch They Cloned Tyrone : Netflix
Director: Juel Taylor
Cast: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx
20 of 23
True Romance (1993)
Brad Pitt as Floyd in 'True Romance' Credit: Everett Collection
In their 1993 review of the "cheerfully disreputable" romantic thriller True Romance , EW's critic writes that the film "has all the tawdry surface pleasures you want from a high-style getaway caper: fast sex, ballistic violence, a cast of flamboyant goons who talk as well as they shoot." Tony Scott directs Quentin Tarantino's script about a pair of newlyweds, Clarence and Alabama ( Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette ), who spend their honeymoon in Los Angeles trying to evade angry drug dealers intent on recovering a stolen suitcase of cocaine. The movie was a box office bomb, but Tarantino's screenplay — which features several appearances from Elvis' ghost (played by Val Kilmer) acting as a spiritual muse — and the movie's exceptional cast make it a relevant addition to '90s movie history. —I.G.
Where to watch True Romance : Netflix
EW grade:B+
Director:Tony Scott
Cast:Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman
21 of 23
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)
Josh Brolin as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks in 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Credit: John Wilson/Netflix
In the third installment of the Knives Out franchise, Benoit Blanc ( Daniel Craig ) travels to upstate New York to solve a murder disguised as a miracle. After the controversial leader of an ill-attended parish is killed during services, Detective Blanc is brought in to determine which of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks' co-workers and loyal followers orchestrated his demise.
Writer-director Rian Johnson works his misdirection magic, and Wake Up Dead Man is just as satisfying as Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022). Josh O'Connor joins the cast as a young priest who is transferred to the church after punching a former parishioner, and Glenn Close is a lovely addition in her role as Martha, a longtime congregant and Wicks' chief confidant. —I.G.
Where to watch Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery : Netflix
Director:Rian Johnson
Cast:Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis
22 of 23
Woman of the Hour (2023)
Tony Hale as Ed and Anna Kendrick as Sheryl in 'Woman of the Hour' Credit: Leah Gallo/Netflix
Rodney Alcala was a serial killer on the loose in California when he took a break from his multi-year murder spree to appear on The Dating Show . Anna Kendrick makes her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour , a lean thriller based on Alcala's TV appearance — but this isn't his story. Instead, Kendrick shifts the focus to his female victims, highlighting some of Alcala's fatal interactions with women between 1971 and 1979.
Kendrick also stars as Sheryl Bradshaw, a struggling Los Angeles actress who accepts a job as a contestant on The Dating Show , and meets Alcala (played by Daniel Zovatto) during his episode taping. Woman of the Hour is tense and evocative, but thoughtful enough to portray sexual violence without resorting to brutal imagery. —I.G.
Where to watch Woman of the Hour : Netflix
Director:Anna Kendrick
Cast:Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, Tony Hale
23 of 23
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Jessica Chastain as Maya in 'Zero Dark Thirty' Credit: Jonathan Olley/Columbia Pictures
Zero Dark Thirty isn't a historically accurate account of the decade during which Osama bin Laden was hunted and killed, but it is an unquestionably gripping thriller. Written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow , the film's release prompted controversy on all sides, with some arguing that it propagandized the Obama administration and others claiming it glorified the CIA's use of torture tactics.
The one thing all sides can agree on is that Jessica Chastain delivers a standout performance as Maya, a CIA analyst tasked with finding bin Laden. While Maya's character serves as a composite of the many people who contributed to the terrorist's capture and killing, Chastain plays her with a restrained, obsessive fervor. —I.G.
Where to watch Zero Dark Thirty : Netflix
EW grade:A
Director:Kathryn Bigelow
Cast:Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
